Shi'ite pilgrims gather in the Imam Abbas shrine during the preparations for the annual festival of Sha'abaniya pilgrimage in Kerbala, 80 km (50 miles) southwest of Baghdad, June 23, 2013. Sha'abaniya is a ritual marking the birth of Mohammed al-Mahdi, the 12th Shi'ite imam and a revered figure in Shi'ite Islam.[Photo/Agencies]